Civil Disobedience and Its Importance for Better Changes

Civil disobedience is the term for refusing to follow certain laws in a peaceful form of political protest. With a diverse use of literary devices like rhetorical questions, allusions, and imagery, authors like Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr., and Sophocles are able to give the reader a personal view of why they believe civil disobedience is necessary in each of their respective societies. After having read different sources, it is evident that civil disobedience is needed in order for change to occur anywhere. This essay will explore the ways in which these authors communicate their ideas and the lasting impact of their works on society.

Sophocles and Antigone: Challenging the Tyranny

Commencing with the first source written by Sophocles, the main character Antigone shows us, the readers, how raising civil disobedience in her tyrannical empire was the only way to get everyone to see the importance of her actions. Using a rhetorical question in Episode 2, “Which of us can say what the gods hold wicked?” she asks Creon who the gods would consider the worse one, her or him. All because she wanted to bury her brother, which was against the law. Antigone burying her brother was breaking the law, and since she did it willfully and at her own risk, it counts as civil disobedience. The gods won’t punish her because she is doing the right thing, so by asking Creon who the “wicked” one is, she is reverting the whole question back to him and allows him to think about the unjust things he has done. In addition to using rhetorical questions, Sophocles also uses allusions to Ares, the god of war, to show the beginning of the play that raised the whole action of Antigone burying her brother. The quote is, “A forbidding city stands (..)”. By comparing Ares to the problem her brothers had with each other, Sophocles gives the reader an understanding of why the whole situation was unfair and why what Antigone did was right. Breaking the law in a peaceful way ultimately brought a realization for Creon in the end. (Sophocles, trans. 1984)

Martin Luther King Jr.: Letters from Birmingham Jail

Following onto the second source written by Martin Luther King Jr., he writes his letters from jail to get the people of Birmingham to understand his and his followers' reason for taking direct action in civil disobedience in order to raise awareness and strive for change. For this, using allusion was MLK Jr.’s go-to. For example, mentioning “Socrates,” “Reinhold Niebuhr,” “Thomas Aquinas,” huge worldly leaders without whom we wouldn’t be here, he allows us to see the truth about what Source B is trying to get across to the people. “Socrates” himself is responsible for making up civil disobedience. “Reinhold Niebuhr” is an American reform theologist who reminded the people that “groups are more immoral than individuals.” Referring to the white clergymen who together are bringing chaos to all the African American communities of the USA. Finally, “Thomas Aquinas,” an Italian Catholic Priest and theologist, is teaching us that any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation (...) inferiority. Meaning that segregation laws in Birmingham are damaging the souls and lives of so many people, that raising civil disobedience right at the moment is the best-case scenario for all. (King, 1963)

Henry David Thoreau: The Necessity of Civil Disobedience

Continuing to the last source, written by Henry David Thoreau, he portrays in his writing that it is necessary for civil disobedience in order to strive for change in the governmental system of the nation. In his text, he uses imagery to show how the government truly stands in the eyes of the people. He says, “It is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves.” Showing that the people deem the government as useless as a wooden gun, so they need to take action for themselves to make a difference in the union. Thoreau uses paradox to make an unlikely comment about being in jail. He writes, “It is there that the fugitive slave (...) of jail.” Signifying that being in jail can make a person feel freer than someone who is actually free and out in the world. All because the system is failing and some decide to incarcerate themselves to get their voice out in the world. Reading this makes one think that making a change is more important than sitting behind and allowing the country to continue when clearly there is something wrong. (Thoreau, 1849)

The Complex Path to Change

Hoping for change is something that many dream of. However, the process is a hard one, and along the way, there are going to be setbacks and people are going to have differing opinions that won’t go with what you are trying to get across to the people. Many disagree with the fact that civil disobedience is necessary in most cases because of the fact that it brings chaos and disorder to the world. This can be shown in “parading, demonstrating, boycotting, trespassing and picketing” are some examples of what brought chaos to Birmingham during the 1960s in America and events that cannot be taken back. The change in the end arrived, but at “what cost?” must have been in everyone’s mind.

The Invincible Spirit of Civil Disobedience

Deciding to evade the laws of your nation is a decision that takes a toll on a person. But, making the choice in the end can make anyone feel invincible, if what they are fighting for truly can be life-changing. In the case of Thoreau, MLK Jr., and Sophocles, it was thanks to their devotion to the cause that they were able to give us the opportunity to be here. Without civil disobedience, it will be very difficult for the world to continue to evolve into a better place.